By Doreen Nagle
Gannett News Service

Little artists at home? Not sure how to guide their beginning artistic attempts? Follow the three E's:

Encourage

• If your child's rendering doesn't match that of the great masters, don't make assumptions by asking, "Is that a pineapple?" Instead, ask her to "tell" you about the picture she made. Let her unfold her vision without your bias of that vision. What might seem a tad unclear to your eyes (a roundish, yellow blob of paint) may seem perfectly clear to hers: "That's the horse on the side of the hill we drove past three weeks ago on the way to the beach."

• Bite your tongue if you feel inclined to critique. Instead, find something good to say when he proudly shows you his not-too-perfect effort by offering: "I like your use of color" or "You really know how to use your imagination." The ideal is to encourage your child to keep at it, just as you would his efforts to learn to read. Why is art important? Keep reading.

Educate

• Why teach art to children? Art is an important part of your child's education. The fine motor skills employed in painting a picture help your young child's brain grow neurons and synapses, the pathways to learning. Also, even if you may not be raising a future Picasso, with the proper encouragement, education and experimentation, you will be raising someone who appreciates art, opening her to an expanded world. Who knows? She may become a world famous museum curator or private collector.

• There are no wrong ways to do art. Too many adults still believe what they were taught as children, that art has to look a certain way in order for it to be "good." "Good art" is in the eye of the beholder. In addition, if there were only one or two "right" ways to produce artwork, there would be no innovation. Teach your children that art is about solutions: Artists face a blank canvas (or lump of clay, etc.). How will they fill it?

• Many beginning artists are timid. Your child may use only a small corner of the drawing paper or limit her palette to two favorite colors. Guide by asking, "Is there something you'd like to draw over here, too?" and "Do you want to try some green?" Help your child observe that things are rarely one, flat color; for example skin, sky, grass, etc.

• Children are never too young for a trip to an art gallery or museum. Get close-up to a painting to talk about the blending of colors or kind of brush strokes used. Point out a technique one sculptor uses versus another. Seek books about the artists aimed at children. Remember that most young children's attention span is limited, so keep your little artist's visit fresh by taking breaks complete with snacks.

Experiment

• Try off-the-canvas techniques, like "tummy prints." Buy washable, nontoxic, water-based paints and have your child paint his tummy (hands, feet, knees, elbows, etc). Then spread out paper and ask your child to plant his tummy on it. What he's done is made a monoprint, worthy of being framed.

• Sprinkle salt on your child's watercolor painting while it is still wet. Your child will be amazed at how the color absorbs, changing the look of the painting.